March 2013 – Page 2

Loaded & Headed

Published on March 20, 2013March 26, 2013 by Our Humble Abode25 Comments

Progress has been made in the guest/Handy Sammy’s room. The shelves have been reconfigured, curtains sewn, storage boxes made, storage needs assessed, and mini dresser refinished. Taking the room from dark:

To this brighter space:

Now to an almost finished room:

After clearing off the shelves, I edited the accessories, keeping only favorites and books. Last week the shelves fully dried and I loaded everything back on.

Organizing books into genres, then arranged by color (ROYGBIV with white, gray and black at the end) makes it easy to find what we’re looking for.

Magazines organized by month in files at the bottom.

On the other side, Handy Sammy has four shelves (the vase, frame, and plant can easily be cleared) to store school books and papers, chargers, and his laptop. A shelf at bed height also doubles as a night stand.

I’m guessing you noticed the blue headboard, too. We thought about upholstering with a fun fabric, but the books and accessories on the shelves are already kind of busy for the small room. And we didn’t want to lose precious space, even if it is only a few inches. In this room, every inch counts.

Solid color seemed the best fit for the room. I bought two yards of navy linen, brought it home and didn’t like it. Too blue. Then I heard our local Ace Hardware stores were giving free quarts of Clark + Kensington paint away one day only. I chose a dark blue-green color (King’s Canyon), not knowing what I’d use it for. Once I held the swatch up in the room, it seemed perfect for the headboard. 1/4 inch MDF is light weight and super thin, so I painted a few coats. Ben hung it last night, covering the edges with pre-painted quarter round trim.

And he installed the second sconce we had ordered.

Making this little nook inviting and useful.

Next up, hang a light fixture. Surprise, it’s a DIY creation I discovered yesterday. Soon we will install crown molding, baseboard, and door trim. Paint on the trim, ceiling, and walls (I’m STILL looking for the perfect color), we can call this room done. Wow, this room is actually going quickly.

Replacement Rug

Published on March 19, 2013March 19, 2013 by Our Humble Abode4 Comments

Our laundry room isn’t very pretty. At all. Orange counters, plain white walls, fluorescent lights, and oak cabinets. And floor-less.

Literally right after closing, Ben pulled out the pet stained (and smelly) carpet that was in the laundry room, hall, and bathroom (eww). But I don’t like the feel of walking on old carpet glue. For a while, we used extra Flor tiles.

Then we swapped rugs and the chevron painted rug sat in storage. Until I measured the laundry room and realized the rug was almost the perfect size to cover the floor. Or most of it.

Ben and Handy Sammy lifted the washer and dryer while I shimmied the rug under. It is a few inches too long for the room, so it curls against the back wall. But hey, it covers the floor, gets the rug out of storage, and works until we get to work in here.

The natural jute color definitely isn’t doing the orange counter tops or orange-y stained cabinets any favors.

But we have storage space (and a utility sink!) and that’s what matters.

More than anything, the new rug makes me want a fun patterned floor when we get around to changing this space. I’d really love to paint or replace the counters, too, but that’s not a priority. Heck, the whole room isn’t a priority. Ben doesn’t see the value in touching the laundry room because we’ll have to add insulation to the back wall (where there’s nothing but concrete). Which means the size of the cabinets will change. Oh well, a girl can dream, right?

Semi Flush

Published on March 15, 2013March 15, 2013 by Our Humble Abode23 Comments

In addition to looking for a not too green or orange yellow paint, I’m searching for the Goldilocks of semi flush lights for the guest room. Here are my top six:1. Kenroy Home Whistler

2. Livex Park Ridge

3. Possini Double Organza

4. Galaxy Chadwick

5. Designers Fountain Cordova

6. Soho Polished Chrome

All have diffused light with a close to the ceiling drop. Some are more simple. But I’m not sure which I like best. Or if any of these are the one. Care to cast your vote? Or nominate a different light? Of course there’s always a DIY option.

Star Crossed Lovers

Published on March 14, 2013March 14, 2013 by Our Humble Abode14 Comments

Sometimes Pinterest is a blessing and a curse. Seeing perfectly styled rooms can be overwhelming. But it also opens a world of inspiration we might not have seen otherwise. I stumbled across this Coronata Star wallpaper and it stuck with me. Somehow, I had to use that pattern in our house. Ah-ha! The guest room needs a new curtain, why not there? So that’s what I did. I sewed a rectangle panel to fit inside the window on a tension rod. Then stenciled my heart out, following these same steps.

Some areas are patchy, others had some bleed through, but I’m still happy with the look.

I thought about fashioning a Roman type shade, but nixed the idea. Instead I used ribbon and buttons I already had in my stash. 18 inches of white ribbon stitched to the back.

And a button stitched to the front for a place to loop the ribbon through. Though I’m not thrilled with the buttons. I don’t think the ribbon button hole will hold up to everyday use. A snap closure might be a better option.

A thin wood dowel in the bottom lets the curtain hang straight and gives something to roll the fabric around.

The inside mounted fabric shows off the trim (that will stand out even more once we paint the walls).

And a touch of pattern that makes me smile.

Usually I lean toward floor to ceiling curtains, but in this room, I’m diggin’ the rolled panel. What do you prefer?

12 More Inches

Published on March 13, 2013March 13, 2013 by Our Humble Abode35 Comments

Our guest bedroom (currently Handy Sammy’s room) is small. Not even 10 feet wide by 11 feet long, including the foot deep bookshelf. And it doesn’t get a ray of direct sun light, so it can be dark sometimes.

Add in furniture and fill the bookshelves and it’s one cluttered, dark little room lacking real storage and organization.

I found a pint-sized dresser, for more storage space. But it took up valuable floor real estate. And left a tiny walk way between it and the bed.

We had always planned to notch out the bookshelves, pushing the bed against the wall. Spurred by the new dresser, we started a few weekends ago. It took me an hour and five laundry baskets to clear off the shelves.

We drew a quick sketch and talked about our plan and options. And then Ben worked his magic and Sawzall. It worked best for us to cut out the vertical supports, leaving the tops.

This allowed us to keep the shelves above the bed the same width and reuse the cut pieces as side supports.

The old shelves cut down to fit the narrower sides.

A new piece at the top framed out the bed opening. To brighten up the room, we painted everything bright white.

For function, Ben added an outlet on either side of the bed, inside the bookshelf.

Sconces (these specifically, hung upside down, though I would have loved to have these if clearances weren’t an issue) replace the old table lamps, giving ample reading light while keeping clutter off shelves.